ABSTRACT
I. Introduction 450
II. Surfactant Therapy in Neonatal Respiratory Distress
Syndrome 450
III. Status of Surfactant Therapy for NRDS in Developing
Countries 450
IV. In Vitro Evaluation of Surfactants 451
V. Parameters of Physiological Relevance 451
VI. In Vitro Results for Herbal Oil Surfactants for NRDS 452
VII. Proposed Mechanism of Action of Herbal Oil Surfactants 454
VIII. Surfactant Therapy in Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome 455
IX. Surfactant Inhibition Studies In Vitro 456
X. Tropical Causes of ARDS 458
XI. Role of Airway Surfactant in Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Diseases 459
XII. Rheological Properties of Airway Mucus 459
XIII. Interaction of Surfactants with Environmental Pollutants 461
XIV. Surfactant System in Pulmonary Tuberculosis 463
XV. Improved Delivery Forms of Lung Surfactant 465
XVI. Issues of Toxicity of Herbal Oil Surfactants 466
XVII. Summary 467
Acknowledgments 467
References 467
I. Introduction
Pulmonary surfactant lines the alveoli and is composed of saturated and unsaturated
phospholipids, neutral lipids, and surfactant specific proteins SP-A, -B, -C, and -D.
It prevents the alveoli from collapsing during expiration and decreases our work of
breathing. Surfactant may be quantitatively and/or qualitatively dysfunctional in various respiratory diseases. A replacement surfactant would be beneficial for the
therapy of such diseases. In this chapter, I will describe the potential of herbal oil
based surfactants for neonatal and adult respiratory distress syndromes. I will also
explore some less documented areas of respiratory diseases where surfactants
might be altered and there may be a scope for future surfactant applications.
